The U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) supports research, development, and demonstration to enable the sustainable use of domestic biomass and waste resources for the production of biofuels and bioproducts.
2023 Billion-Ton Report
BETO released the 2023 Billion-Ton Report, which shows that the U.S. could sustainably triple its production of biomass to more than 1 billion tons per year.
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Features
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Grand Challenge
A comprehensive interagency strategy for scaling up new technologies to produce SAF on a commercial scale.
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SAF Grand Challenge Roadmap
A roadmap outlining six action areas spanning all activities to support industry in achieving the SAF Grand Challenge objectives.
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Bioenergy Research and Education Bridge Program (BRIDGES)
A bioenergy case study-based education curriculum to foster innovative ideas and develop critical thinking skills in students.
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DOE Leads International and Domestic Efforts for Zero-Emissions Shipping by 2050
DOE and the American Shipping Bureau are collaborating to decarbonize the maritime shipping industry after signing a new Memorandum of Understanding!
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2023 Project Peer Review Report
A comprehensive summary of stakeholder and subject-matter expert feedback on BETO’s latest research, development, and demonstration portfolio.
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AlgaePrize 2023-2025 Competition
A competition that inspires students to innovate within the commercial algae value chain, building the next generation of bioeconomy professionals.
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This DOE Energy Earthshot™ focuses on decarbonizing the fuel and chemical industry through alternative sources of carbon to advance cost-effective technologies with a minimum of 85% lower greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.
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Program Areas
Renewable Carbon Resources
BETO develops strategies and supports technology development to mobilize renewable carbon resources.
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Bioproduct Production
BETO supports developing bio-based products and chemicals that can enable biofuel production.
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CO2 Utilization
BETO establishes research strategies and technology pathways for converting gaseous feedstocks into biofuels or bioproducts.
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Conversion Technologies
BETO is exploring a variety of conversion technologies that can be combined into pathways, from feedstock to product.
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BETO supports research, analysis, and tool development to address the economic and environmental dimensions of bioenergy and bioproducts.
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BETO is focused on lowering the risk of bioenergy production technologies through pre-pilot, pilot, and demonstration-scales.
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Transportation Biofuels
BETO’s transportation biofuels research aims to accelerate the production of climate-friendly, sustainable fuels for transportation.
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Waste-to-Energy
Wet waste, solid waste, and gaseous waste streams are potential high-impact resources for the domestic production of biofuels, bioproduct precursors,
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Bioenergy News
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Now Hiring! The Bioenergy Technologies Office Seeks to Fill Management and Program Analyst Vacancy
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) is looking for a dynamic, innovative and experienced individual to join our team as a Management and Program Analyst. The position would lead efforts and inter-agency collaboration on the development and coordination of Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) tax credit guidance relevant to biofuels and clean fuel production.
June 11, 2024
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Analyses Reveal Hidden Opportunities for Lower Cost, Lower Emissions Biofuels
As seen in two U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office-funded NREL studies, techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) can be powerful tools to help stakeholders realize the best fiscal, social, and environmental returns.
June 3, 2024
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Register Today! ChemCatBio Artificial Intelligence for Catalysis Webinar
Join the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office’s (BETO) Chemical Catalysis for Bioenergy Consortium (ChemCatBio) on June 12, 2024, 2:00pm – 2:45pm ET, for a webinar on artificial intelligence (AI) for catalysis.AI has the potential to play a crucial role in accelerated catalyst design, discovery, and optimization of chemical processes for decarbonization. With the help of a range of AI tools—such as machine learning, deep learning, and large language models—researchers can uncover useful guidelines for designing new and improved catalysts, for both low- and high-technology readiness level research activities.
May 30, 2024
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2023-2025 AlgaePrize Competition! Curious About Algae? 3 Ways Algae Can Impact the U.S. Clean Energy Economy
Fifteen student teams from across the country were selected as finalists for the AlgaePrize 2023–2025 competition. As the nation’s premier algal-based student research competition, the AlgaePrize challenges students to pursue innovative ideas for the development, design, and invention of technologies within the commercial algae value chain. The 15 teams are presently conducting their proposed research and will provide research updates over the next few months. As we follow their progress, below are three facts to fuel your algae curiosity.
May 29, 2024
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Reminder to Register! Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge: Building Supply Chains RFI Summary Report Webinar
Join the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) this Thursday, May 30, 2024, from 12:00pm to 1:00pm ET, for an informational webinar on the recently released Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Grand Challenge: Building Supply Chains Request for Information (RFI) Summary Report.
May 28, 2024
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U.S. Department of Energy Releases RFI Findings - Building Supply Chains to Meet Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge Goals
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) released a Summary Report from a September 2023 Request for Information (RFI) on building supply chains to meet Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Grand Challenge goals. This RFI underscored the importance of both federal and state policies and collaborative actions by stakeholders to drive progress of SAF supply chains. View the full SAF Grand Challenge: Building Supply Chains Request for Information Summary Report.
May 23, 2024
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U.S. Department of Energy Announces Four Additional Projects to Help Industry Address Bioenergy and Bioproduct Challenges
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) awarded an additional $2.18 million in funding to four additional projects as part of the Feedstock-Conversion Interface Consortium (FCIC) 2023 Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) call. Funded and led by BETO, the FCIC is a consortium of researchers at nine national laboratories dedicated to reducing the technical risks of biorefinery scale-up. This funding opportunity included competitively selected CRADAs between FCIC partner laboratories and partners from industry and academia interested in leveraging the capabilities of the FCIC.
May 22, 2024
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National Laboratory Squashes Fungal Processing Time to Accelerate Biofuels Development
Researchers sometimes genetically engineer microorganisms—such as fungi—to convert renewable feedstock materials into useful biofuel or biochemical products. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which allows researchers to quickly amplify DNA sequences for analysis, is one of the most essential tools in this process. When working to synthesize biofuels using fungi, PCR is particularly important for evaluating various strains of mutated fungi.
May 20, 2024
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NREL Biomass Technology - A Cornerstone of SAFFiRE Renewables Biofuel Pilot Plant Going Up in Kansas
In 2023, the company negotiated a license agreement for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL’s) deacetylation and mechanical refining (DMR) process, a technology seen as important for sidestepping challenges with cellulosic biofuel facilities in the past. DMR uses a “gentle” alkaline bath and a mechanical shredder to prepare corn stover for ethanol fermentation—essential steps for accessing the energy-dense sugars locked inside.
May 16, 2024
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Now Available! New BETO Resources for Prospective Funding Opportunity Announcement Applicants
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) released new resources for Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) applicants which include a step –by-step tutorial and general funding opportunity FAQs.
May 13, 2024
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Upcoming Events
Jun 12
ChemCatBio Webinar Series: Artificial Intelligence for Catalysis 2:00 PM to 2:45 PM EDT
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